Monday 7 May 2007

The best of times ... the worst of times

Wow - I don't even want to blog about it, I'm so conflicted. So gutted and disappointed with circumstance, and with my my own feelings.

I'll give you all the details and let you decide how I should feel.

Official time 1.01.07 Official distance 10K (6.22miles)
Distance (remember this, it'll be important later) according to GPS 6.45 miles....
Average pace 9.28
Best pace 5.52
Calories burnt 786 Calories eaten post race celebrating a friend's bday - 4786 he he he!!

Splits:
9.05 - mostly down hill but extremely congested and getting around people was tough going
A good start to my "start as fast as possible, there's hills later" plan.
9.57 - quite happy as this included a small hill (The Mound)
8.39 - incredible but true - there was a nice stretch of downhill before ...
11.02 - Arthur's Seat - about 1.5k going UP and UP and UP - here the wind blasted us in the face
8.19 - chuffed to bits - there was some lovely downhill and I decided to take full advantage
10.14 - long slow drag up at the end
::last 0.45 mile segment in 3.45::

10K time according to ORWELL was 59.02

So, I think you see the dilemma.
I did 10K in the time I hoped for but the race is 'officially' 10K and I didn't get my sub 60min goal - the goal I'd trained for, raced for, planned for and generally slogged my guts out for.

It becomes even more galling when I explain that the kilometre markers were only present at 1km, 8km and 9km... so I didn't even know the race was going to be long - or that I was off their pace - until I was 8km. There is only so much you can do at 8km. Hence the flat out sprint (for me) for most of the last 0.45 of a mile.

I think most of my disappointment comes from the whole end experience for me. I finished and it started to rain, I felt cold (obviously) and slowly made my way to the agreed meeting area. (Having seen no friends.) Wait 10min while putting on my race tshirt to try and keep warm. No one turns up. I try and find them - by that point I was near tears... all I've ever said to TheO was that I really needed them at the end of the race, I don't care about support on the way round, I just need them at the end. They hadn't made it in time from their hill support stance. They never saw me peg it down Middle-Meadow-Walk. They never hugged me at that moment of self doubt. Bugger it. This is horribly self indulgent and whingy. (I'm hoping for some PMT/S issues to be involved here.)

So, enough, pull the socks up, stiffen the upper lip and GET OVER IT is my advice to self.
Meanwhile I've posted on Runner's World to question whether the course may have been a little bit long - and so far everyone agrees with me!!!!! Now I really feel sorry for the elites, as it was a windy day everyone is blaming their being a few minutes off the pace on the wind - when it really should be the distance. ce la vie

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